[FADCA] Re: Where is the Beacon?

[Chuck Hast]

On 12/23/05, bud Thompson <budt at cfl.rr.com> wrote:
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <k4gbb at earthlink.net>
> To: "bud Thompson" <budt at cfl.rr.com>
> Sent: Friday, December 23, 2005 10:23
> Subject: Re: Where is the Beacon?
>
> <snip>
>
> >>
> > Use the beacon command.
> > Info is found under man beacon.
> > You will need a cmd for each port.
> > Once you are happy with the beacon place the cmd in ax25-up.
> >
>
> and in the next message K4GBB sez-
>
> The Beacon cmd has several components:
>
> -c <src call>    From
> -d <dest call>  To
> -t  <interval>   How often (mins)
>     <port>        Port #
>     <text>        "Beaon Txt" Note the quotes.
>
> The cmd -c k4gbb-8 -d Citlan -t 15 0 "The K4GBB BBS is now open"
> causes a UI frme every 15 min from k4gbb-8 to Citlan with the text The K4GBB
> BBS is now Open.
>
> The -c portion is important because it allows us to override the callsign
> used to define the port
> in axports. This allows the use of an alias in the axports file.
>
> Use man beacon to see Other elements of the command.
>
> * * *
>
> All good information - but to this Linux fpac newbee it leads to more
> questions...
>
> 1. Where do I use the beacon command?
You may use it from the cmd line or you can stick it in a file that is called
on start up, ax25-up is probably the best place

> 2. Where /what is man beacon?
man = man pages,
man beacon
will return the man page on the beacon command, as a up and coming
Linux/Unix user the man pages are your friend, if you need to find out about
a command just type 'man command' where command = the command you
want to know about.

> 3.  Where do I use man beacon?
> 4. >> Once you are happy with the beacon place the cmd in ax25-up.
>
> Does that mean I have to play with it someplace other than ax25-up then do
> something different in ax25-up?

You can do it from the command line, and go see what it did in the on the
listen screen:
Here is the command I gave mine at the cmd line:
root at fpac-dev:/etc/ax25# beacon -c kp4djt-8 -d tpalan -t 15 0 "KP4DJT
FPAC SWITCH IS ON LINE"


Here is what it did, and was shown on the listen screen
0: fm KP4DJT-8 to TPALAN ctl UI^ pid=F0(Text) len 29 18:12:27
0000  KP4DJT FPAC SWITCH IS ON LINE


>
> I skimmed (lightly) through AX25 How and did not find anything about beacon.
>
>  I'm ready to mimic the line:
>
> -c k4gbb-8 -d Citlan -t 15 0 "The K4GBB BBS is now open"
Replace the k4gbb specific stuff with your stuff and give it a try. Remember
it is only linux, unless you do something really wild you will not do much.

>
> if I knew where to do it.
>
>From the command line... The CLI is your friend even though you may not
think so...

> I need file names to check/modify.
>

Once you feel good you can stick it in ax25-up so that it gets started after
all of the ax25 stuff is up and running.


--
Chuck Hast
To paraphrase my flight instructor;
"the only dumb question is the one you DID NOT ask resulting in my going
out and having to identify your bits and pieces in the midst of torn
and twisted metal."